Celibacy Is Top Reason Catholic Youths Don’t Choose Religious Vocation

Celibacy stands atop the list of reasons Catholic youths hesitate to consider vocations, but church officials say they should not gloss over the rule when recruiting priests, sisters and brothers.

In a survey of active Catholic youths, young people who are contemplating religious life were most likely to say having a sense of mission and making a personal sacrifice for God are appealing aspects of a vocation.

And celibacy--a priestly requirement Pope John Paul II has made clear will not be changed during his papacy--needs to be presented in that light, said the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, which conducted the study for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“If you present celibacy in an honest and challenging manner, it appeals to the idealism of young people,” said Bishop Paul Loverde, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Vocations. “Celibacy is a sacrifice, but one that has a profound meaning and has made a difference in people’s lives.”

In the February survey of Catholics active in youth programs, the Georgetown University-based research center received responses from 749 youths in 39 parishes in 25 dioceses. The response rate of approximately 50% produced a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points for Catholic youths most involved in church life.

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Overall, these Catholic youths think highly of the priests they know.

More than nine in 10 respondents said the priest, brother or sister they knew best was enthusiastic, prayerful and dedicated.

But only 6% said they were seriously considering a church vocation.

Respondents reported feeling more positive about the professions of law, medicine, business and education than the religious life.

The two biggest reasons even the most involved Catholic youths hesitate to pursue vocations have to do with celibacy:

* 88% said they wanted to marry when they were older.

* 85% said they wanted to have children.

Among the youths who have seriously considered a vocation, however, church officials did see some signs that celibacy would not be an overwhelming obstacle.

Seventy-six percent of that group, contrasted with 61% of the respondents who had not seriously considered a vocation, said one of the most appealing aspects of the lives of priests and nuns is the personal sacrifice to serve God and others.

Instead of hiding from the celibacy requirement, the church should emphasize the sense of sacrifice to youths open to vocations, researchers said.

“Cultivating such idealism is likely to cultivate vocations. De-emphasizing the high demands of a church vocation will have the opposite effect,” the research center said in its report.

Sociologist Dean Hoge of Catholic University of America said, however, that the problem of celibacy is momentous, and even presenting it in a new light is not going to have a major impact on the priest shortage.

“Celibacy is the No. 1 deterrent,” Hoge said.

What do Catholic youths think will help increase vocations under the present system?

The best things the church can do, they said, would be to have priests, sisters and brothers share their personal stories with youths, offer vocation retreats at confirmation and give youths the opportunity to meet young adults pursuing a vocation.

“Priests, sisters and brothers need to speak directly to youth and challenge them to listen for God’s call to them,” Loverde said. “The study shows that young people hold priests, sisters and brothers in very high esteem. We need to say, ‘Don’t just admire them from afar. Join the ranks of people making a public commitment to the church.’ ”